Hidden sources of caffeine

February 27, 2013|By Kerri-Ann Jennings

While caffeinated tea and coffee have been linked to some health benefits, such as lowering risk of skin and liver cancers, caffeine has some downsides. Some people are more sensitive than others and in addition to jitters, it can deplete sleep quality, especially in folks over 40, amp up anxiety and it's addictive.

If you're looking to limit your caffeine intake, it's important to know what products contain the stimulant and that's not always obvious. Here are some hidden sources of caffeine:

For comparison, an 8-oz. cup of brewed caffeinated coffee has 100 to 200 mg of caffeine, depending on the kind. (A 1-oz. shot of espresso, by the way, has less caffeine than coffee — just 40-75 mg, about the same as a cup of tea.)

1. Energy drinks: Why do energy drinks perk you up? While many have other ingredients that claim to boost your energy, a lot of them still rely on caffeine. Case in point, a 12-oz. can of Red Bull has 111 mg of caffeine. 5-Hour Energy delivers 207 mg in just 1.93 oz., while Vitamin Water Energy Tropical Citrus has 50 mg in 20 oz.

2. Decaf coffee: It's a far cry from regular coffee, but a cup of decaf will still give you around 5 mg of caffeine.

3. Iced tea: It might seem obvious that iced tea would have caffeine, since hot tea does, but sometimes we don't really think of those peach- and raspberry-flavored sweetened iced teas as having caffeine. But they do: Snapple (lemon, peach and raspberry flavors), for example, has 42 mg per 16 oz.